Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows) (49 page)

“He thinks that they were smuggling drugs inside the furniture and they didn’t have time to look for it so they took everything. Cleaned the place spic and span.” Vinny relayed the theory. “Jessup said he’s seen it happen before, would you believe in baby crib? Anyway, I looked back over some of the receipts, it looks like everything had been imported so it makes sense when you think about it.”

“Do we know what caused the fire?” Dillon asked even though he knew damn well how the fire really had started.

“Faulty wiring is what I got.” Vinny answered. “They were leaching from the main power line with crappy cables. I’m surprised anything was left standing, frankly.”

“Was any of the furniture found there?” Lou played along with her question.

“From the pictures Callahan sent me, I dunno how they recovered what they did of the drugs! The place is a pile of ash. I would bet good money most of that ash was once all of Arcano’s furniture.”

“Well, that answers that.” Lou smiled. That had been an added bonus, getting the furniture issue written off the case. God only knew what really happened to it. “So the Arcano coffee, will that get us our warrants?”

“Happy Birthday, kiddo!” Vinny said in a jovial tone. “I texted you as soon as I hung up with the D.A. They were faxed over five minutes ago. I got the whole crew coming in so we can coordinate executing the warrants on the office and the house as soon as you get here.”

“Let me change then we are on our way.” Lou forgot all about her injuries and tried to get up unassisted. The pain hit her like a battering ram making her wince audibly.

“Hey kiddo, you gonna be able to do this? Want me to handle it?” Vinny heard Lou’s grunt, indicating she was definitely in pain.

“I got her Boss.” Dillon interjected. “She may not be able to kick in the door, but I’ll get her there. No problem.”

“Right. OK.” Vinny was satisfied. “See you two soon. Hurry up! I’ll be glad to get Carlos Vargas in a box.”

“See you in a bit.” Dillon clicked off the call and thought for a moment.

“You got a plan, bro?” Niko asked him with a smirk.

“Just give me a minute, I’ll be OK.” Lou insisted but the pain was so bad that she hadn’t been able to answer Vinny’s earlier question.

“Does Connor have anything in that trunk of his that will take the edge off but not put her in lala land like the one he gave her this morning?” Dillon asked.

“Not sure.” Niko answered as he dialed his phone. “We will find out though, won’t we?”

Dillon made his own call to Abby. He asked her if she could get back quickly and help Lou change since he didn’t think it was appropriate for him to do so. To his amusement, she magically appeared in the doorway.

“I think I can manage that!” Abby beamed a smile as she entered the room. “Is she confined to a desk or need to be tactically ready?”

“We’re executing warrants.” He informed her as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. “Although she will probably be confined to the car, you never know with Lou so best...”

“Say no more.” Abby cut him off then disappeared into Lou’s closet.

“How coherent do you need her?” Connor flew in the door at a full sprint, immediately heading for the first aid trunk that he had left in the corner of the room.

“Serving warrants and getting the bad guys!” Abby shouted from the closet.

“OK, so pretty damn coherent.” Connor acknowledged as he rifled through the trunk, finding what he needed. “Here we go! We can supplement this with 800 milligrams of ibuprofen in an hour or so. That should make things tolerable for your op.”

“If you say so.” Was all Lou could say. She would take anything for the pain at that point.

“Alrighty, I think this will do.” Abby emerged from the closet with a pair of tactical boots, dark brown yoga pants and a color coordinated henley. “As soon as he gives you your shot, you boys get out so I can get her changed. We’ll meet you downstairs in a few.”

Abby grabbed socks from a drawer while Connor gave Lou the injection. Lou didn’t even care what it was. After the men left her room, Abby carefully got Lou changed then helped her down the stairs where they were all waiting.

“This is what is going to happen...” Niko stepped up to Lou and placed some sort of charm around her neck.

“Aww. How sweet! You got me a birthday present!” Lou gave him a hug. Clearly Connor had underestimated the effects of the drugs.

“I thought you said it wouldn’t make her loopy?” Dillon started to panic.

“Crap!” Connor cursed. “I totally forgot it was your birthday!”

Niko rolled his eyes at him but turned his attention back to Lou. “We will celebrate you surviving yourself another year later. This is a transmitter. We will be close and listening in so we have your back. If Timms is there, we will get him. Your people will not stand a chance so don’t worry, we have your back. Understand?”

“So this isn’t my present?” Lou was completely uninterested in tactics at the moment.

“Yes and no.” Niko grinned. “It’s one of them. Think of this as having me with you whenever you need me.”

“Yay!” Lou hugged him again.

“OK, we gotta go.” Dillon was exasperated. “You guys will be right behind us?”

“Yeah.” Niko assured him. “Turn your watch on when you go in so we can monitor you too.”

“Yes sir.” Dillon answered. He had been given a special watch that all the Aegis wore. It not only told perfect time in three different time zones, but it also had a built in GPS chip complete with homing beacon as well as a microphone that could be turned on and off with a twist of the face. It was an extraordinary blending of craftsmanship and technology. “Wish us luck!” Dillon gave them a weak smile as he helped Lou to the SUV. Lou was in an unusually good mood thanks to the drugs and although Dillon was freaking out over them pulling this off in her condition, her silly demeanor made him smile the whole drive to the bureau. This was going to be one for the history books, if they pulled it off.

Vinny was unconvinced. Although Dillon had promised him that
Lou would be fine, after seeing her injuries first hand, he was not at all comfortable with her going with them to execute the warrants. Especially since the drugs she was given had her actually being nice to Detective Rochelle. Vinny was worried.

“I’m just gonna stay in the van!” Lou assured him. “I swear!”

“She can watch the monitors with me.” Parks, one of the Tactical Response techs spoke up in Lou’s defense. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“See!” Lou pointed with both hands. “She’ll keep an eye on me!”

As the rest of the team continued gearing up, Vinny paced up and down the corridor, thinking. It was his first serious decision as lieutenant and if anything happened to Lou he would never forgive himself. On the other hand, if he left her out, as soon as her drugs wore off she would never forgive him if he made her stay behind. It was the lesser of two evils.

“Fine.” Vinny relented. “But you get out of that van or do anything but observe and report, so help me...” He dragged his fingers through his hair, still warring within himself about his decision. “... you will be riding a desk for the rest of your life! Do you understand me?”

“Absolutely!” Lou saluted him and snickers could be heard among the crew.

“Alright. Let’s go over it once more before we had out.” He ignored the snickers, ordered them all to gather around and they went through plan for the third time.

They obtained three warrants. One that allowed them to search the Malibu Colony residence of Carlos Vargas. A second would allow them to search his office at Arcano Imports, including the servers and all his electronics. The last was the actual warrant for Carlos Vargas’ arrest based on suspicion of drug trafficking. They had sent in an officer posing as a flower delivery person earlier and determined that Vargas was still at the office but he was heading home for the day within the hour. This had made it easy for Vinny to decide which team would execute the warrants at the office and which would deal with Vargas at his home. No way in hell he was letting Rochelle and Barnes’ team get a crack at Vargas first. That was going to be left to him and Lou, and Dillon, of course.

When the plan was crystal clear to everyone, they headed out. Barnes and Rochelle’s team consisted of a six man Tactical Response Unit and five deputies. It was mid-day on a Friday, in a very public and very busy location so any major confrontations on that end were highly unlikely. Especially since Carlos Vargas wouldn’t even be there. Vinny’s team, on the other hand, had a full Tactical unit of ten and a dozen deputies at the ready. Half of which were in plain clothes and would be positioned at various locations around the block. The other half would be standing by, ready to swarm in when they got the go. The van where Lou would be safely tucked away was a combination surveillance and Tactical Response Vehicle. It was a plain, unmarked, white Ford transit van large enough to comfortably house the mass of tech toys as well as the small arsenal and gear TRU required. Because of it’s lack of markings, they could slap magnetic signs on the side for various covers depending on the circumstance. Today, the van would be posing as a carpet cleaning company, complete with two deputies in associated uniforms. Hopefully, the deputies would be able to gain access to the neighbor across from Arcano’s house for additional staging and surveillance. The plan was solid but they all knew everything was different on paper than it was in execution. All they could do now was pray.

Having timed it to the minute, Rochelle and Barnes’ team arrived at the parking structure of the Arcano building the same time the carpet cleaning van containing the disguised deputies along with Parks and Lou, came to a stop on Colony Road. Vinny and Dillon drove a fake electric company vehicle and parked in a driveway two doors up from the Vargas residence. Dillon pulled on a baseball cap with the electric company logo, grabbed a clip board and sat waiting until Vinny gave him the signal to head in. No one would question a meter reader. They were much like postal workers or sanitation guys, an everyday essential that became invisible after a while. Just a normal part of every day life blending into the background. Deputies secured the gate once they provided the ever vigilant guards a copy of the warrant. They were also making sure the rest of the team got in as quickly and quietly as possible while no one else got out. They waited for their carpet cleaners to gain access to the neighbors while other deputies were getting into position on the beach behind the Vargas’ home. It was going to take a few more minutes, but soon they’d give Rochelle and Barnes the go and all the wheels would be in full motion.

Carlos Vargas’ Audi was sitting in the driveway of the French Colonial villa, confirming he was at home. They had gone over the floor plan carefully so that they had some idea of what to expect and where to proceed once they went in. Parks, the tech-brain of the Tactical Response Unit, began working her magic in the back of the van running infrared to see if she could get a fix on how many warm bodies were actually inside. It wasn’t one-hundred percent accurate but it gave them a clue. They new they had eight rooms to clear, including a basement, and everyone knew which direction and what rooms they were responsible for clearing. The most important thing was securing Vargas and anyone else inside immediately.

“OK, go read a meter.” Vinny gave Dillon the go then proceeded to inform all units they were initiating step two of the plan. Dillon casually got out of the car and headed to the back of Vargas’ neighbor to the North. A stubby looking Latin woman appeared out of nowhere and began berating him in Spanish. Dillon hadn’t seen the woman approaching, given she barely made it to his hip. He spoke politely and asked her to show him where the meter was. She was clearly annoyed, ranting about the electric company having been there just last week. Nonetheless, she turned and led him around the side of the house while continuing to berate him, flailing her arms for apparent added emphasis to her displeasure. When they reached the back end, he carefully showed her his badge and whispered to her what was going on and that he required her cooperation. She was stunned at first, her dramatic rant coming to an abrupt halt. An undercover Deputy dressed in surf trunks and a hoodie appeared, smiling and talking in Spanish, as if he knew her. She quickly fell into line and went along with the ruse, offering the man a glass of lemonade and inviting him in. The undercover Deputy took control of the situation seamlessly and stepped inside with the housekeeper while Dillon got back to business.

“All good, Sport?” Vinny asked through the earpiece.

“Close call but under control.” Dillon informed him.

“Bogey handled.” Another voice came through the comm, the undercover Deputy confirming the housekeeper had been secured and out of the way.

“OK, proceed as planned.” Vinny instructed, a distinct tone of relief in his voice.

Dillon walked to the back edge of the neighbor’s yard to get a look at the lay of the land. He faked marking things on his clipboard and scanned the area to see how many civilians they had to worry about. He noted the two undercovers playing Frisbee and another two who appeared to be playing with their dogs. They were from the K-9 unit and not just any dogs. These two were highly trained drug detectors and it would be their job to sweep through the residence and search for any hidden drugs. As Dillon noted the other Deputies now in place he counted four civilians they would need to get clear once they made the rush in. After a closer look, however, Dillon recognized two of the civilians as not being civilians at all. It was actually Niko and Yuri. Niko was waxing his surfboard while Yuri appeared to be sitting on the sand, sketching something. They had fooled Dillon, if only for a moment, so they certainly would not be taken as anything more than civilians by the others. He grinned to himself and continued with the plan, reporting his observation of the civilians within range.

“Alright, that’s manageable.” Vinny answered. “Frisbee boys, keep them at a safe distance once we go in. Just while we secure the location.”

“Roger that.” A voice acknowledged.

“Stand by for my go.” Vinny informed them then called Rochelle and Barnes to coordinate their movements. They were ready and in place, waiting for Vinny’s go. He needed as much intel as possible before he could give Barnes and the rest of them the green light. “Parks, what’s up?” He asked over the comm.

“I got a solid read on one body only in the house.” She informed him. “We have confirmation the kids are at school and the wife is shopping on Melrose. Looks like it’s just Carlos Vargas in there. We are a go.”

“Roger that.” Vinny responded then looked at his watch. “All units, on my mark...” He took a deep breath and watched the second hand tick down to time things precisely. “..Go! I repeat, all units go!” As was part of the plan, he counted ten seconds for the Tactical Response Unit to pull up and charge the property before the rest of the team followed suit. Lou watched it unfold on the monitors that were transmitting live from the cameras affixed to the TRU helmets.

“Wish I had popcorn.” Parks joked.

“I should be with them.” Lou was unfazed by Parks’ joke.

They stormed through the first gate without incident given it was unlocked. After making their way to the main door, the small battering ram made short work of it and they were in the house in under fifteen seconds. All units converged on the residence at the same time and completely caught Carlos Vargas by surprise. They found him making a sandwich in the kitchen, stunned by the swarm of Deputies that were charging into his home.

“Hands in the air, Vargas!” Vinny shouted as the other units moved to clear the rest of the house. “Let me see those hands!”

“What the hell?!” Carlos Vargas gawked, not comprehending what was taking place.

“Drop the mustard bottle and get your hands in the air!” Dillon instructed as he moved toward him.

Vargas dropped the bottle as instructed and stretched his arms up as high as he could. “I didn’t do it!” He began to cry right there on the spot. “I had nothing to do with it! It was my brother! I swear!”

“You have the right to remain silent...” Dillon began Mirandizing him while he hooked the handcuffs on his wrists. He then moved him out of the kitchen and on to the sofa in the main sitting area.

“Clear.” Numerous voices began ringing out as they finished clearing the rest of the house.

“Bring in K-9.” Vinny instructed over the comm as he holstered his weapon and took a seat across from Vargas.

“I swear to God you have to believe me!” Vargas pleaded.

“Do you understand your rights as read to you by my partner?” Vinny asked. “You’re a lawyer, be really sure before you answer.”

“Yes! Yes! I understand my rights but you need to understand!” Vargas was panicked and stammering. “I had no choice! They threatened to kill me! Torture my family if I didn’t do what they wanted!” He was sobbing now. “I just handled books! I had nothing to do with Casius’ murder, I swear to God!”

“Lieutenant.” A voice came over the comm. “We got a hit in the basement.”

“Just sit there and shut up while we take care of business here.” Vinny scowled at Carlos.

“On my way.” Vinny responded to the voice on the comm then instructed one of the other Deputies to keep an eye on Vargas while he and Dillon headed to the basement.

Lou had been watching the different streams on the monitor and couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Carlos Vargas start blubbering. She watched as the K-9 units swept through the house saw the dog hit on a wine rack in the basement. Her heart was in her throat that they were going to find something that would lead back to the blood operation or the Sanguinostri. She must have said at least a dozen silent prayers that they would be lucky or at least that Dillon would be able to get in first to cover it up. Fortunately there was nothing so far. Just two bricks of heroin the dog found hiding underneath the bottom shelf of the wine rack. Lou recognized the bricks right away. They were the same as the ones they found at the warehouse the night before and Lou was sure they were planted. Carlos Vargas was not stupid enough to keep heroin in the same house as his wife and kids so Lou figured this was a little gift from Ernesto to make sure his brother went down with him if they were found out. She said another prayer that was all Ernest had in his little surprise package.

“Lou.” Vinny’s voice over the comm got her attention.

“I’m here.” She responded.

“Things look secure here so you can come in now if ya want.” Vinny looked at Dillon and without a word he sprinted to go get her. “Dillon is coming for you.”

“I can make it on my own!” Lou protested as she struggled to find her crutch and make her way to the back doors of the van.

“Eventually.” Parks snorted as she watched Lou flailing.

“I thought you were on my side!” Lou barked.

“I am!” Parks insisted. “But you gotta admit you have had more agile days!”

Lou grunted as she finally made it to the doors but when she reached for the handle they flew open and Dillon was already there. “This sucks!” She announced.